Bernard boekelman



(No Model.)

B. BOEKELMAN.

MUSICAL NOTATION. No. 402,225. Patented Apr. so, 1882.

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UNITED STATES BERNARD BOEKELMAN PATENT OFFICE.

, OF NEWr YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL NOTATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,225, dated April 30, 1889.

Application tiled April 4, 1888. Serial No. 269,525 (No model.)

To all whom if muy concern.-

Be it known that I, BEI-:Naan BoEKELnAN, i a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city oi' New York, in the county and State ot New York,ha\'e invented certain new and usetul improvements in Musical Notation; and l do hereby declare that the following is a it'nll, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

ln studying and teaching music it is of great advantage to obtain a quick perception ot the constituent parts of .musical compositions, which are generally called the voices or Voice parts ot' which a composition is built up; and my invention has t'or its object a simple and convenient notation by which these different Voice parts of musical compositions can be easily recognized by the appearance of the notes or musical. characters, so that the student may be able easily to follow and distinguish the theme or subject, the countertheme or second subject, as well as the melodic or harmonic voice parts, or any other parts of the composition, by the appearance ot the :notes or characters representing the saine on the page. I

l illustrate applications ot my invention in the drawings, in which- Figure l shows a portion ot` lachs wellknowu Fugue No. Il trom the well-tempered clayecin, (being Krolls arrangement ot the same,) in which the different voice parts are distinguished according to my intention by notes ot' diitferent colors. Fig. shows my in yention as applied to )lendelssohns wellknown Song without lYords, No. l, E major. Fig. 23 shows the fourth and part of the fifth measures ot' Fig. 2, in which the ditterent parts are distinguished according to my in- Yention by notes of different shapes. Fig. 4 shows notes of different appearance which may be employed in carrying out my invention.

Similar letters oi reference indicate like parts.

One ot" the chierc obstacles in the way ot the student to a clear and ready apprehension of musical compositions, and especially of such as are ditlicult or complicated7 is the inability to separate musical compositions as now writ ten into their different voices or structural parts, and as a result oi' this the student is often confused and delayed, having to learn and trace laboriously the parts or Voices of the composition, which are principal and secondary, and those which are added for iigurative accompaniment, rhythmical symmetry, or for iilling or rounding out. By my improved notation these obstacles are removed and the composition is so represented that its dilicerent voice parts are distinguishable at a glance and recognized by the appearance ot the notes representing such parts.

Thus in Fig. 1 the notes forming the subject or theme, which are inclosed by the broken lines a, are to be printed in one distinguishing color, as in red, while the notes constituting the counter-theme, which are inclosed in the broken lines h, are to be printed in another distinguishing color, as in a light green. The notes of the second voice ot' the subject or theme, sometimes called the answer, which are inclosed in the broken lines marked c, may be printed in the same distinguishing color as are the notes of the subjece-namely, in red. The notes oi' the third voice o' the theme, inclosed in the broken lines marked (I, and the notes ot the answer thereto, inclosed in the broken lines marked e, may all be also in red color. The accompanying counter-themes, inelosed in the broken lines j and g, may be in light green, as at b. The notes representing the melodie portions, which in Fig. l are not inc losed in any lines, are 1o be in a color, as in black, which will readily distinguish them from the subject and answer an d also trom the counter-theme.

In com positions arranged tor a greater number ot voices than this Fugue used to illustrate my invention the additional voices are to be represtmted by other suitable distinguishing colors.

In Fig. 2 l show my invention applied to Mendelssohns well-known Song without lVords, No. l, E major. lhe notes ot the melody, inclosed by the brok en lines 71, are to be printed in one color, as in red. The notes of the bass or bass melody, inclosed in the broken lines i, are to be printed in another color, as in light green; and notes ot' the tig- IOO urative accompaniment, the portion not inclosed in any lines, are to be printed in another color, as in black.

In Fig. 3, which is a repetition of fourth and portions of the fifth measures of Fig. 2, I show my invention carried out by means of notes of shapes differing` from the shapes of the notes now commonly employed, so that the whole composition may be printed in one color and the distinction between the constituent parts indicated by the shapes of the notes. In this instance the notes of the melody are of a square form, the notes of the bass or bass melody are of a diamond shape, and the figurative accompaniment is printed in notes of the usual form.

In Fig. 4- I show several forms of notes which may be employed to carry out my invention triangular, square, crescent, and diamond forms-and many other forms may be employed, if desired, in place of these, or for additional parts or voices.

In cases where, according to the present notation, a single note is both melody and accom pani m ent, a duplication of the same should take place, in order that each constituentpart may be shown in its proper color or shape. I have added such notes iu the second and fifth measures of Fig. 2 at x a: and also in the corresponding measure of Fig. 3 at x.

It will thus be seen that by the use of musical compositions containing my invention the learner will be enabled at a glance .to distin guish the diiferent constituent parts of the same, whether the distinction is made by notes of different colors or of different shapes, or by a combination of colors and shapes, which may also be done. For example, in

theillustratio'n of myinvention shown in Fig. 3 the notes of the melody might be of square 'to accomplish the same result.

form, as shown, and the notes of the figurative accompaniment of the usual form, and both printed in one color, and the notes of the bass or bass melody might be of the usual form instead of diamond shape, but printed in a color different from that of the other parts,

It is apparent, therefore, that different colors or notes of different shapes, or a combination of these, may be used without departing' from my invention, and I do not limit myself to any particular color, colors, or shapes.

I am aware that it has been proposed to print each of the seven notes of the scale ina diiferent color, and also that forms of notes different from the ordinary notes have been proposed in order to use such notes for two systems of notation; and I do not claim any such devices.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv l. The herein-described improvement in musical notation, consisting in representing the several constituent or voice parts of musical compositions by notes of such different appearance that such several parts may be distinguished from each other bythe appearance of the notes, substantially as described.

2. The improvement in musical notation, consisting' in representing the several constituent or Voice parts of musical compositions by notes of different colors, whereby suoli parts may be distinguished from each other by the color of the notes, substantially as described.

' BERNARD BOEKELMAN. Witnesses:

PATRICK HENRY BROWN, CHARLES AUSTIN MciNIAHoN. 

